“We Particularly Focus On Consultation”

How Tribe Salons ensure their apprentices are salon ready

by AMANDA | DOCUMENTS

“When people are homegrown, understand your way of doing things, and have been with you from the start, they stay for longer” – Elle Foreman, head of education, Tribe Salons, Clapham and Chislehurst

“We’re a family run business with two salons – in Clapham and Chislehurst – and we’ve always kept things quite small so we can be personal and people orientated. We have a very diverse clientele across both salons, aged from 16 up to 92, all different hair textures and hair types. The salon is priced more towards the higher end, as we’re an Aveda salon. That means we have a high standard to maintain. 

“We’ve always offered apprenticeships, we need to bring new talent through, that they’re able to learn on a daily basis. We have seven now, and probably about 50 per cent of the teams across both salons started with us as apprentices. It’s so hard to recruit nowadays, especially in London. When people are homegrown, understand your way of doing things, and have been with you from the start, they stay for longer.  

“While apprentices are doing their NVQ, they train within the salon, learning alongside the stylists on the job. However, after their EPA, their training goes further with us. Every Tuesday, I have all the newly qualified assistants, and we book in models for the whole day so that it’s like having a column of clients, and I help them advance their skill set so they’re fully equipped when they hit the shop floor. We particularly focus on consultation. I think it’s something that can be skipped over with an apprenticeship. The focus is on learning the technical skills, but consultation for us is a big one. We make sure our apprentices understand how to talk to people and get the best out them so that they can deliver a confident result.  

“We had a period last year where it was quite evident that people were coming into the industry thinking it would be an easy route, but then quickly realise that to become a hairdresser, and you must do lots of training. We’ve changed our recruitment process, adapting the questions to try and filter out the ones that aren’t doing it for the right reasons.” 

Tribe Clapham

“I really like the social side, all the different personalities” – Hannah Robinson, Apprentice, Tribe Salons, Clapham and Chislehurst 

“I wasn’t too sure about what I wanted to do it first. I looked at apprenticeships in law and mechanics, but I opted for hairdressing. I’m coming into my second full year. I go to college every Monday, and then Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturdays I’m in the salon.  

“I wasn’t too keen on it first, but I’ve really grown to like it. I find it fun and interesting. Even if I continue this for the next 10 or so years and then change, I will always have this skill. I thought it would be quite easy, and then once I started doing it, there was a lot of standing, cleaning and tidying, but I realised there’s a lot I could learn while I’m doing it. It all started to click for me after my first Christmas – I was doing more in the salon, getting involved with more clients and enjoying it more. 

“I enjoy doing colour, but I think I’m more of a cutting stylist. Once I start talking to a client, and get to know them a bit, that’s what I really enjoy. I really like the social side, all the different personalities. 

“I’ll probably do my EPA next year, so I’m fully prepared. I might like my own salon one day, but I’m not much of a business type. I think I’d rather go into the events side, special occasion hair, weddings and Fashion Week.

“I really enjoy working as part of a team. I can get help from everybody else when I don’t understand something, or if I need help with a client or doing a certain job. I feel I can rely on everybody else around me to help me with that.”